THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF EURIDICE GUSMAO (MIFF BRAZILIAN MOVIE REVIEW)



6/10

Guida and Euidice are two sisters who could not be any more different. Euridice is tall, Guida is short. Euridice is focused, determined and working hard to become a professional pianist, Guida can’t think about anything but boys. When a tragic incident separates them the girls are lost without each other but they never give up hope to meet again. A desperate search turns into a journey of a lifetime, when in fact the girls only live a few streets away from each other... will the sisters be able to reunite? And at what cost?

Based on a novel INVISIBLE LIFE offers a very typical plot for Brazilian cinema. Sisters separated by fate is a tagline straight from GLOBO tv channel soap operas that are so popular in Brazil. With a running time of 2h20min the pace is rather slow and the story takes its time to get going. Where the film succeeds is the atmosphere of the 40s Rio, with its walkways, restaurants, and its diminishing Portuguese middle class that can easily slip into extreme hardship and poverty. 

Independent director Karim Ainouz is a Cannes darling but has never quite made it into the big league. This feels like a passion project for him and his love for Rio is obvious in every shot. Definitely not for everyone THE INVISIBLE LIFE is rich in emotion and atmosphere. Watch out for a small role from Brazilian acting royalty Fernando Montenegro. Her emotional gut wrenching cameo could be just the reason to see this overlong family saga. 

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